George Lucas Heads Up American Graffiti Parade

George Lucas Heads Up American Graffiti Parade

George Lucas returns to his hometown of Modesto to celebrate the 40th anniversary of his classic film “American Graffiti” Friday.

“Graffiti” was a simple movie about life in Modesto, and helped put Lucas on the Hollywood map, though it wasn’t originally what Lucas wanted to do as a career.

“I didn’t want to make theatrical films, so, for me, it was a detour that I never go off of,” Lucas told FOX40. “At the time I did ‘Graffiti,’ I decided I needed a job, so that’s really why I started working on it.”

Lucas served as Grand Marshal for the parade through Modesto Friday evening. The American Graffiti festival, which runs through Sunday, celebrates what the film is all about – cruising.

Lucas’ production company, Lucasfilm, was sold to Disney in December for a whopping $4.05 billion.